Reviews

This volume traces the career of Paul Gauguin through the wide variety of his artistic works on the one hand and his writings on the other. To begin the book, editor Thomson ( Gauguin , Thames & Hudson, 1987) provides a useful introduction, then examines the artist's career, which she divides into four stages. Gauguin attached great importance to writing, which became for him an alternate means of creative expression. Mainly through letters, many translated for the first time, we learn of his views of the world, of his art, and of the works of his contemporary artists. The volume is handsomely produced; the quality of the reproductions is very good. This volume should be included in every serious art library.-- Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, Ct.